Anam Cara
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Kitt and Michael have to deal with the fallout of killing an FBI agent and the deepening bond they feel with each other. How far will they go to keep the ones that matter most? Sequel to For Those We Love.
1. Chapter 1

**chapter one**

Devon wasn't too thrilled with having Special Agent in Charge Daryl Rich in the garage, and he really didn't think it was a good idea to have Michael, Bonnie, and Kitt in there with them. Rich may have been a short, squat, balding man – not much of a physical threat – but he held power with the FBI. More importantly, he had been John Clay's mentor. Rich had taken up the center of the room, and had to be the only person in the world that could make a suit look even more imposing than Devon could. Bonnie was by her computers looking something up for Devon. Kitt was parked closest to the exit, engine idling. Michael was leaning against Kitt's hood, a dark look on his face. Devon himself was standing just in front of Rich, in between the SAC and his operatives.

"I trust your investigation of John's betrayal is going well?" Devon asked stiffly.

Rich grimaced. "This isn't about what John may or may not have done." he said. "Just because my boss believes he was guilty doesn't mean I do. John was a good kid."

"Yeah, so was Ted Bundy." Michael muttered.

Devon shot him a filthy look. Michael simply crossed his arms and glared at Rich. So he knew what was going on. That made Devon's job just that much harder. "So what brings you here?" he mused. "Surely not your investigation."

"Only indirectly." Rich smirked. "I'm here investigating John Clay's murder."

It was remarkable the effect those words had on the three people in that garage. Bonnie turned around in her seat, her eyes wide with shock and fear. Devon drew himself up straight and infinitely more imposing than he had been. Michael adjusted his stance, almost like he was getting ready to run, but Devon recognized the fight in Michael's eyes. If Rich decided he was going to take away Kitt, he was going to have to get through Kitt's driver first.

"Oh? What have you turned up so far?" Devon said coldly.

"That car was involved." Rich snapped, pointing at Kitt. "It's supposed to be programmed not to take human life, right?"

"I can override him."

Bonnie gasped. "Michael, don't –"

"I can override Kitt." Michael said evenly. "He doesn't have any control when I do that. It's all me."

Rich gave him a look. "Are you saying that you were driving the car when it hit John?" His voice was sickeningly sweet. "I'm sorry – I don't quite believe that."

"Unless you can charge any of my operatives with a crime, I suggest you leave." Devon snapped, but Michael overrode him.

"Not necessarily me, but someone else." he said evenly. "You don't know who all was there. Zerek and Coltrane were planning on killing John anyway. Maybe one of Zerek's assassins got inside and overrode him. The button is clearly labeled." He spread his hands wide. "Anything is possible."

"This isn't the Twilight Zone." Rich bit out in exasperation.

"No, Michael likes watching Dark Realm." Kitt pointed out. He was rewarded with Michael flashing a smile at him over his shoulder.

"Say what?"

"Kitt's a bit of a smart-aleck." Michael said with a wry grin. "You get used to it after a while."

"A computer personality." Rich said, completely thrown off. "That's unnatural, Mr. Miles. What kind of operation are you running here?"

"My operation." Devon said pointedly. "I'd like it if you left now, Mr. Rich."

"_Agent_ Rich."

"You are trying my patience, Rich. Go."

They watched as Rich turned and stalked out of the garage. Michael finally relaxed. He turned to face Kitt with a grin. "How did you know I prefer Dark Realm to the Twilight Zone?"

"I listened in on one of your marathon sessions." Kitt said dryly.

"Eavesdropping is bad you know."

"I paid for it, trust me. That show is worth about as much as used motor oil."

Michael laughed. "Harsh, Kitt."

"Michael's taste in TV shows is the least of our concerns." Devon said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, Mr. Rich's opinion of Kitt's actions is echoed by others in the Foundation. There's talk that we might have made a mistake in Kitt's programming."

"I made no mistake." Bonnie spat out angrily.

"What do you mean, a mistake?" Michael asked slowly. "You mean, like what happened to Karr?"

"Exactly." Devon replied grimly. "They think putting the driver's life above humanity in general was a poor idea that was paid for with John's death." Michael opened his mouth to protest, but Kitt cut him off.

"Devon, my programming had nothing to do with my choice." Kitt sounded rather calm despite everything. Which was fine, Devon figured – Michael was panicked enough for both of them. "Even if that's what my programming told me to do, I still would have killed John."

"You wouldn't have had that option with this new code sequence they want to try." Bonnie said darkly.

"I would." Kitt shot back. "No matter what this code sequence tells me, I still place Michael higher than humanity in general." Michael leaned against Kitt's hood, and Devon had the distinct impression something was passing between them that Bonnie and he couldn't hear. He glanced at Bonnie, and nodded slightly when she mouthed, _later._

"The others won't see it that way easily." Devon admitted. "I'm going to do what I can to stop them, but there's not much I can do. It's going to be up to them to see the truth."

"And what truth is that, Devon?" Kitt asked calmly.

"That you are more than your programming." Devon replied quietly. He nodded to Michael and left the room, motioning for Bonnie to follow him. She flashed Kitt and Michael a smile and left with him. Michael sighed and slumped against the hood of the Trans-Am, his eyes closing in tired exasperation.

"This is ridiculous." he muttered. "What did they expect you to do? Let me die?"

"I don't think they were expecting me to kill." Kitt said.

Michael shifted slightly. "That was a miscalculation."

"A very welcome miscalculation." Kitt said darkly. "You lived. He got what he deserved."

Michael grinned. "You know it and I know it. Now let's just hope the FBI and Foundation does. Besides, if you hadn't, I would have."

"I know." There was silence for a moment. "You need to sit down." Kitt opened his driver's door in invitation. Michael gratefully moved so he could rest more easily. Despite being completely healed, his leg bothered him from where John shot him. The pain tended to get unbearable right before Michael was ready to go to sleep and when he moved around too much. Which meant that every time he started to walk with a limp, Kitt went into what he had affectionately termed "mother bear mode".

Michael rubbed at his leg. "Pity they can't do much for residual pain." he muttered.

"If it's of any consolation, the pain isn't all residual." Kitt said gently. "You were shot. There's still damage that may never heal."

"That just means you'll have more chances to go into mother bear mode." Michael said cheekily.

"Lovely." Another pause, this time more charged. "Michael – you aren't really-"

"Push comes to shove, Kitt, I was driving, and you were in manual override." Michael said calmly. He seemed to be entirely focused on massaging the ache from his leg, but Kitt could feel the tension in his body. He was worried, and very scared. "I'm not going to let you take the fall for something you couldn't control."

"I'd rather neither of us took the fall." Kitt shot back.

"Push comes to shove." Michael assured him. "In the meantime, I'm sure we can think of other ways to get out of this. Right now, let's get some rest."

/---/

AN: This is the setup chapter. Look out for more action, more characters, and a revelation for Kitt and Michael. Review, please!


	2. Chapter 2

**chapter two**

It was pitch black outside. Bonnie and three of her fellow technicians were the only ones awake: a young woman named Ashley and two older men called Jared and Chad. Bonnie was working on a new component for Kitt, something that she probably shouldn't be doing but figured it would come in handy soon enough. "Chad, will you hand me a screwdriver, please?" Chad handed her the right implement and Bonnie went back to her work. She missed the look Jared and Ashley gave Chad.

"Miss Barstow – we have a question for you." Chad began uncertainly.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked, distracted. She was fully expecting some sort of technical question that he should probably already know the answer to – hence his hesitation.

"What's going to happen to Kitt now that he's a killer?"

Bonnie looked up in shock. "Since when was Kitt a killer?" she demanded.

"Well, he killed the FBI guy." Jared said, shifting a little in agitation. "We liked John. He was nice to us, you know? It wasn't right to mow him down like that."

Bonnie had to struggle to keep the shock and anger out of her voice. "Do you like Michael?" she asked in forced calm. Ashley shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess."

"John was going to kill Michael." Bonnie continued, her voice slow and steady. "Which would you rather have happen – Michael get gunned down or Kitt kill John to save Michael?"

Jared and Chad exchanged looks, unconvinced. Apparently they didn't accept that version of the story. Not for the first time, Bonnie wished Kitt had thought to videotape the whole thing, but there had been more important things to worry about. Ashley, on the other hand, nodded in understanding.

"It would destroy Kitt if he had to watch Michael die." she said bluntly.

Bonnie nodded. "Got it in one." she said. "Now, let's drop the subject and finish this, shall we? Kitt and Michael will need it for their next mission."

"You're sending them back out again?" Chad demanded. "What if Kitt kills again?"

Bonnie stood up. She wasn't very tall, but she was taller than Chad, and it was enough of a difference to shut the kid up for a moment. "Listen to me. Kitt only killed because Michael was in danger. Now think of this – Kitt can only do that if the danger is real. His programming prevents that. Michael doesn't have any such programming. If he thinks Kitt is in danger, he'll do the exact same thing Kitt did. Do you really want to give an already over-protective man an easy target?" She watched as that sank in, and finally a flicker of fear crossed Chad's face. Bonnie sighed. "Listen, I'm not trying to threaten you. You're entitled to your own opinion. Just watch who you mouth off around, okay?"

Chad nodded. Jared crossed his arms and scowled. Ashley slapped the older boy on the back of the head. "Don't worry, Miss Barstow. I'll keep these two in line."

"Good." Bonnie smiled at her and sat back down again. "Ashley, will you hand me the solder?"

/----/

Michael made sure he had Devon with him when he went into the old records room. Devon immediately started pacing by the door, clearly agitated by the whole deal. Michael simply brushed past him and began opening file drawers, searching for the thing that drew him here of all places. Something so important wouldn't be kept on computers where it could be tampered with. "What exactly are you looking for, Michael?" Devon demanded. "Maybe I can help and get us out of here faster."

"You sound like we're not supposed to be down here." Michael mused, mostly ignoring Devon in favor of his search. He kept coming across crap-loads of tax forms that he couldn't have understood even if he knew everything that went on at FLAG. Heck, Michael had had a hard time understanding his own tax forms when he was simply a police officer.

"Technically, you're not." Devon retorted.

"That's why you're here with me." Michael pointed out. He moved on to the next file cabinent. "I don't feel like being accused of forgery, and if you're down here as well, you can back me."

"Back you in what?"

"I need Wilton's last will."

Pain flashed across Devon's face briefly. He stopped pacing, his eyes locking onto Michael's back. The younger man could feel his eyes on his shirt, a most uncomfortable sensation. "Michael – what could you possibly need that for? Wilton is long gone."

"Wilton wasn't stupid, Devon." Michael replied easily. "He had to have known that, sooner or later, someone was going to try and exploit Kitt. There had to be a way of protecting him when he couldn't do it himself."

Devon hesitated. "I'm not sure we actually thought about it." he admitted. "We were young and naïve – the thought of being betrayed was so far from our minds – it was all before Tonya came about and almost destroyed everything." He watched as Michael finally seemed to find what he was looking for. The driver pulled a thin folder out of the stack and started flipping through the papers. "Michael, why is this so important now?"

"Because I know the scientists aren't going to wait forever to try their new code." Michael said bitterly. "I won't let them mess around with Kitt's mind, Devon. It's not going to happen."

"It wouldn't change who Kitt is." Devon said quietly.

"I know. But if this code does what it's supposed to, Kitt will hate it." Michael refused to look at Devon, keeping his eyes locked onto the paper. "I won't allow it."

Devon hesitated. He wondered what, exactly, had passed between Michael and Kitt during those days when he and Bonnie had given the pair time to recover. Something had. The changes weren't obvious, but every now and again one of them would slip up and reveal something like this. Their determination to keep each other happy and safe was almost endearing, and in another way alarming. Something was changing, and Devon couldn't figure out what it was.

Michael nodded in satisfaction as he found what he was looking for. "Here it is." he said, pointing out the line to Devon. It was only a simple line of text, almost an afterthought and definitely added on to the will not too long before Wilton died, but the implications were clear. Devon's eyes were wide with shock.

"Dear boy, do you know what this means?" he demanded, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It means those bastards can't touch him." Michael's free hand clenched into a fist. It was the lucky break they needed, but Michael wasn't sure he could do it. It was demeaning, going against everything Michael believed about himself and Kitt. So very wrong, and at the same time – if Kitt would allow it – it could be just as right, just another step forward. "I'll run it past Kitt first. If he'll allow me, I'll use it. Not until then."

"Michael, did you know it would be you?"

The driver shook his head. "No. To be honest, I thought it would be you." he admitted. "Wilton trusted me more than I thought." He flashed Devon a weak grin. "I'll be back." With that he left the archives, taking Wilton's will with him. Devon sighed.

He really needed to talk to Bonnie. If anyone knew what was going on between Michael and Kitt, it would be her.


	3. Chapter 3

**chapter three**

Devon caught Bonnie just outside of Kitt's garage. "Bonnie, I need to talk to you." His voice was urgent, which was probably the only reason she turned around. She didn't seem pleased with the interruption, and for a moment Devon wondered if this was the smartest choice – after all, Bonnie was loyal to Kitt and Michael was like a brother to her. "I need to know what you know about Michael and Kitt."

"What about them?" she asked warily.

"I need to know what's going on between them." Devon demanded, a note of concern in his voice. "They've always been close, but something has changed, and I can't figure out what."

Bonnie almost laughed. "That's all that's bothering you?"

"Bonnie, honestly, how am I supposed to protect them if I don't know what's going on? What if this is something that will affect how they perform on their next mission? I need to know so I can take it into consideration, that's all." He spread his hands helplessly. "What else am I supposed to do?"

She considered him a moment, and finally relented with a sigh. "Devon – they went through a lot in the past six months. Kitt thought Michael was dead, Michael thought Kitt was dead, and then to find each other again and almost lose each other not a month afterwards – it's been rough on them." She leaned against the wall, one hand tucked securely into her lab coat pocket. "They figured something out. They've known it for a long time, but knowing it and saying it are two different things. Kitt asked me, right before Michael got out of the hospital, what you call it when friendship doesn't seem to suffice."

Devon blinked, stunned. "This has evolved far beyond what I had anticipated." he murmured, a slight smile starting to curve his lips. "If they feel that close to each other, that much loyalty – "

"Kitt has evolved more than anyone anticipated." Bonnie interrupted him, "but Michael truly amazed me. They had a conversation a few days afterward. I think Michael finally opened up to him."

This was rewarded with a slight smirk from Devon. "Michael, be honest about his feelings?"

Bonnie chuckled. "Yeah, shocked me too. But Kitt seemed really pleased when they got back. He wouldn't tell me why, but I think I know." She turned to head into the garage, but Devon's voice stopped her before she could take more than a few steps.

"Did you tell them about _anam cara?_" he asked.

Bonnie flashed him a grin. "Of course. It's perfect, don't you think?" She entered the garage, leaving Devon alone in the hall. His smirk had turned into a true grin.

"More so than you realize." he murmured. "Oh, Wilton, I think they actually did it."

"_What are you doing?!"_

The demand was faint through the door, but Devon recognized the slight fear in Bonnie's voice. He quickly opened the door to the garage and was greeted with a sight that would have been funny if it wasn't so serious.

Apparently Michael was right – the scientists weren't willing to wait. Dr. Brocklien, the current head of programming, kept trying to approach Kitt. The code would have to be written directly into Kitt's CPU, so the unit would have to be removed from the car. Bonnie was standing in between Brocklien and the Trans-Am, fear and fury mixed on her face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stand aside, Dr. Barstow." Brocklien ordered. "This is a matter for the Foundation."

"No! Not until you tell me what you're doing!"

Brocklien scowled. "The Knight 2000 isn't your plaything, Dr. Barstow. It's about time you realized that."

"Michael!" Kitt's cry tore through Devon's heart. He knew Kitt could feel fear; he just hadn't realized it was Michael who he called on to reassure him.

The word was like a spell. In a flash Michael pushed past Devon and placed himself beside Bonnie, his left hand pressed against the hood of the Trans-Am while the right gripped the file folder. "I'm here, pal." he said grimly. "It's okay now."

Kitt's voice steadied itself. "Thank goodness. I was afraid something had happened to you."

Michael flashed him a grin. "To me? Never." Before Kitt could retort, Michael continued to speak to Brocklien. "Kitt isn't your plaything, either." he hissed.

"Oh? And what do you have to support that, Mr. Knight?" Brocklien sneered. "An emotional attachment to a piece of machinery? I guess it would make sense, considering how it's programmed."

"I have this." Michael snapped, disregarding the snide comment for the moment. Michael would clear that misunderstanding up when he was the one holding all the cards. He handed the file to Brocklien. "This is Wilton Knight's will. Check out page 16 – paragraph three. It's even bolded for your convience." Brocklien stared at the document for a moment, his face turning red in anger.

"This is ridiculous!"

"What does it say?" Bonnie demanded.

Brocklien shot her a look, like this was somehow her fault, and read the paragraph. "In the event of my death, the AI known as Knight Industries Two Thousand, or Kitt, and all programs and machinery directly related to Kitt, belong to Michael Knight, to use as his discretion." He looked up at Michael. "This is a forgery."

"I assure you, it's not." Devon said quietly. "It shocked me too when I found it."

Bonnie blinked. "That means you can't do anything – to Kitt or to the car – without Michael's permission." she breathed.

"Michael?" Kitt's voice was hesitant. "Is that true? Wilton left me to you?"

Michael ran his fingers across the hood. "Yeah, buddy, it's true." he said quietly. He braced himself for the outrage. Kitt hated being considered as nothing more than a machine to be passed around to whomever he saw fit. While he doubted Kitt would be mad at him, he was sure his partner would lash out at Wilton for not thinking of how Kitt felt about the whole deal. He wasn't expecting Kitt's next words.

"That suits me just fine."

He couldn't keep the shock from his face. "Are you sure?"

"Michael, really," Kitt drawled, "how many times have you referred to me as your car? If I cared, I would have said something then." Kitt didn't have to say it, but Michael heard it anyway, a brief reminder of conversations they had had before: _You are mine, and I am yours._ They had claimed each other long before this happened.

But a personal feeling and a legal fact were two different things. Michael couldn't help but feel it was wrong. He shoved the feelings aside for now and focused back on Brocklien. "It's official." he said bluntly.

Brocklien seemed to be choking on his words. "In that case, Mr. Knight, what would you have me do?"

"I'd have you go away." Michael said with exaggerated slowness. "Kitt and I are going for a drive. We're turning the homing beacon off. The only programmer – and I mean the _only programmer_ – to touch Kitt is going to be Bonnie. Anyone else tries and they will find themselves missing a hand or two. Got me?"

"Are threats necessary?" Devon muttered. "First John, now Brocklien."

"But it is funny watching it." Bonnie murmured back. Poor humor, but it was enough to relieve the tension somewhat. Brocklien glared at Michael and stormed out of the garage. Devon turned his focus to Michael.

"There are ways around that will." he pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least now I'm the target instead of Kitt." Michael said easily as he slid into the driver's seat.

"What do you mean by that?" Bonnie wondered.

"Kitt can't defend himself if they work it right. I don't care how they work it – they won't touch me." With that he took Kitt out of the garage and onto the street. For a while they drove in silence, but that wasn't to last for very long.

"I meant what I said." Kitt said suddenly. "I don't mind belonging to you."

"I thought you hated the idea." Michael pointed out. "Something about a little consideration?"

Kitt laughed. "I know. But you take care of me. You don' t use me." There was a slight pause, then, much quieter, "It's been true from the beginning. This just made it official."

Michael nodded. "I guess." He glanced at the voice box and without thinking placed his hand on the dash. "Now they can't touch you."

"But they can touch you." Kitt warned. "Please, be careful."

Michael grinned. "Aren't I always?"

Kitt let out an exasperated sigh, but Michael couldn't miss the affection in his words. "You don't want me to answer that."


	4. Chapter 4

**chapter four**

Even though the sun was beginning to set, Michael made no move to return to Foundation headquarters, and Kitt didn't mention it. They drove aimlessly in silence for the most part, the homing beacon off so none could track them. Bonnie and Devon would worry, but they would understand. This was needed – the reassurance that everything was all right. Kitt was drawn from his thoughts as Michael shifted a little in his seat. "They got close."

Kitt sighed. "Yes. Bonnie stopped them though."

"Next time we might not get so lucky." Michael cautioned. "Next time I might not be there. We were lucky I was coming to see you anyway about the will."

"We've always been lucky." Kitt said calmly.

Michael gave him a look of polite disbelief. "How so?"

"It was luck that we were at the same diner that night." Kitt pointed out. "It was luck that I was parked close enough to hear you, that we recognized each other, that – "

"Enough." There was a hint of laughter in Michael's voice, and Kitt ceased his list. "Not all of that was pure luck, Kitt. The day will never come that I don't recognize you – not due to something I couldn't control like amnesia." he cut off Kitt's immediate reminder. The AI chuckled. "Let me remind you the same thing happened to you." Michael suddenly turned serious. "That's one reason I don't want them near you."

"You think Brocklien would try to erase my memory banks?" Kitt demanded.

"Let's just say that, if it was me, I would at least install a failsafe in case the new code doesn't work. Kinda hard to kill for someone you don't know." Michael placed his hand against the dash, something he'd taken to doing lately. Kitt relished the contact. "I need you to promise me something, Kitt."

"Depends."

"If they get that close, get out." Michael hated saying this; he had to force the next words out. "I don't care who you have to mow down or leave behind. Don't let them change you."

There was a full second of silence as Kitt processed that. "Michael, you can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "I would not leave you in their hands any more than you would leave me. It's absurd!"

"Absurd or not, that's what I want you to do." Michael said calmly. "I can take care of myself, you know that."

"I won't."

"Kitt, please." Michael pleaded. "They can use me, or Bonnie, or Devon, against you. All I'm asking is that you don't give them the chance."

"So if something happens to you I'm supposed to just drive away and leave you to your fate?" Kitt seemed especially hung up on that. It was mildly surprising that he didn't even say anything about Bonnie. "Honestly, Michael, where in the Code of Friendship does it say that? It's – no! I can't!"

"Code of Friendship?" Michael couldn't help but laugh. "Where did you hear that one?"

"I made it up." Kitt groused. "And you are not changing the subject, not when you brought it up!"

Michael sighed. "Kitt – you know what you mean to me." he tried to back up and explain, but he had the feeling this was one battle he wasn't going to win. "I could not live with myself if I knew they used me to change you. That _I_ can't do. Do you understand?"

Kitt sighed. "I understand." he said quietly. "I've always understood. But programming or not, I can't do it. I'm – no, I'm not sorry. I can't."

Michael pressed his hand tighter against the dash. "Then I guess a promise is out of the question." he teased lightly. "Still, just know – push comes to shove, that's what I want you to do. Whether you do it or not is up to you." He yawned then, and Kitt chuckled.

"Rest, Michael." he said gently. "I'll make sure no one bothers us." Michael nodded and took his hands away from the wheel, leaning back in his seat as Kitt tinted the windows. Within minutes Michael was out cold, and Kitt was left once again with his thoughts. He understood where Michael was coming from – if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't want Michael risking his soul just for him. He understood that Michael had to ask, knowing Kitt would refuse, simply because it was Michael. He had to make his point known even if no one listened to him.

Kitt also knew Michael would come up with a plan to keep Kitt from ever having to make that decision. He would do something that would take it out of Kitt's hands, so to speak. Kitt couldn't let that happen.

It was his turn to plan, and it was going to have to be a good one. Michael's life depended on it.

/---/

A furious Brocklien paced the length of the garage. The sun had set a few hours ago, and still Knight hadn't shown up yet with the 2000. Sitting on Bonnie's stool was Jared, his eyes narrowed in thought as he sat quietly. He seemed to be far more calm than Brocklien. "So what do we do?" he asked the older doctor. "It's not like we can simply kill Knight off. The 2000 would probably kill us."

"I know that." Brocklien hissed. "But we have to find a way. I told Wilton he was insane for trying again with Karr. Now I have my chance to prove I was right and Karr was the better of the two."

Jared gave Brocklien a hard look. "Wait a second – that code doesn't change the 2000's primary program?"

"Oh, it does, just not the way I lead Devon to believe." Brocklien said simply. "I saved some of Karr's programming before we deactivated him the first time. It will reintroduce the self-preservation concept from Karr, but keep the preservation of human life from the 2000. It will create the perfect balance."

"Or it could cause a cascade data failure that will destroy both of them." Jared pointed out dryly. "You really haven't thought this through, have you?"

"What do you mean, both of them?"

"The 2000 and Knight. Knight isn't going to leave the 2000 to quietly tear itself apart. He's going to try and stop it. When he does, the 2000 will likely kill him." He spoke slowly and clearly, as if speaking to a child. His frustration was evident. Just what was the lunatic thinking? "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be in Devon's line of fire when he finds out we caused that."

"You will not be blamed." Brocklien said easily. "I will take full responsibility for whatever may happen."

"So you're going to do it anyway?"

"Yes. I don't care what happens to Knight or the thing they call Kitt. In fact – call Agent Rich. I have a tip he might want to hear." Brocklien smiled.

Jared sighed. This wasn't going to end well for anyone.


	5. Chapter 5

**chapter five**

Michael walked into the reception area of the mansion just in time to see Devon open the door to SAC Rich. He quickly took a step back into the shadows, making sure he was as invisible as he was going to get. Rich didn't even look in his direction. He simply smiled at Devon in a way that set Michael's teeth on edge. "You will not believe what fell into my lap last night as I was checking my email." he said jovially. Devon simply watched as the man took a seat on the couch without being asked.

"I'm sure I won't." he said flatly, not bothering to sit. "So enlighten me."

Rich's smile got wider, if that were possible. He looked like a kid on Christmas day that got exactly what he wanted. "I received an anonymous tip, Mr. Miles. This tip told me that Michael Knight reprogrammed the 2000 to kill John Clay." He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly relishing the victory. "That makes him a murderer."

"Michael is not a murderer." Devon said tightly.

"If you keep hiding him, that makes you an accessory." Rich continued, still holding that smile in place. "Tell me, Mr. Miles, are you willing to risk the integrity of the Foundation for Law and Government just to protect some cowboy wanna-be who used your technology to get revenge on his replacement?"

"My son is not a murderer!"

Michael's eyes widened in shock. _Son?_ He knew he respected and loved Devon as he would a father, but he had no idea the older man returned the sentiment. A slight smile curved his lips, but only for a moment. Rich picked up on the slip as well.

"Your son?" He said it quietly, rolling the words around for a moment before the smile faded. "That would explain a lot, Mr. Miles. More than I actually anticipated. People always say the most when they don't realize it." He gave Devon what was supposed to be an understanding look. "I know what it's like to have kids that leave the straight and narrow. My daughter did it. Left home when she was seventeen and became a hooker. Now, all I want to do is question him, find out if this tip is true. Will you let me do that?"

Devon glared at Rich. "You must think I'm dense." he hissed. "I will not allow you to come anywhere near Michael. You will not question him – you will arrest him on sight!" Michael noticed the way Devon rested his hand on the back of the couch opposite the one Rich was resting on, and his blood ran cold. Michael had once hidden a gun behind the cushions. It made him feel better to know Devon and Bonnie had some way to protect themselves if something happened while he and Kitt weren't there. There were several guns stashed in other areas of the house. Devon was taking this much more seriously than Michael had anticipated, although admittedly he never expected it to go this far.

At least now he was the FBI's target. Someone at FLAG must have tipped them off, which meant they were planning on using his arrest to get to Kitt.

Rich, completely unaware of his predicament, stood up with a grunt. "I have a warrant to search the premises and arrest Michael Knight if I find him. I wouldn't advise stopping me." As he turned to walk away, Devon calmly moved the gun and held it behind his back. They walked past the shadowed corner where Michael was hiding, and Devon calmly passed the gun to Michael.

The garage was on the other side of the compound. He had to get there before Rich did. He waited until they went out the back door and took off out the front. Michael was at a slight disadvantage. In order to reach the garage, he was going to have to circle around and come at it from the side. Devon and Rich had a straight shot, but with Devon stalling, he might just get there in time. Besides, he had a backup plan.

"Kitt! Can you hear me?"

"_Loud and clear, Michael. What's going on? The scientists are on the move – Bonnie's trying to stop them, but Brocklien will be down here any minute!"_

"Bail, Kitt. Get out and get to the beach. I'll meet you down there. Rich is here as well."

There was a long pause. _"Rich has a warrant for your arrest."_

"Yeah, buddy. He does."

"_Is Devon – "_

"He's buying us the time we need."

There was another pause, but this time Michael heard the sound of the Trans-Am's turbines as he started the engine. Relief washed through him. Kitt was going to get out of there, they would hook up at the beach and get out of the city as fast as the speed limit would allow, and then they would figure out where to go from there. First priority was to get to safety –

Suddenly the comm. link went dead, and Michael staggered to a stop. His breathing was short and ragged. "Kitt? Kitt!"

There was no answer.

/---/

"Michael?!" Kitt's voice had turned into a shriek as Brocklien shut off the comm. link. Jared had Bonnie held at gunpoint, one hand over her mouth to keep her from talking. The sound of Kitt's cries tore at her. The last time he sounded like that was when they thought Michael had died. For three days after that, the only thing Kitt would say was Michael's name, as if it would bring the man back to him. He was doing it again, falling back into the shutdown mode he always went into when Michael wasn't there.

Brocklien stepped into the garage, a slight smile on his face. "He won't answer you, 2000."

Kitt froze. "You again." he said, his voice suddenly much calmer. For some reason, that scared Bonnie more than his panic had. "Do you not learn from the mistakes of others?"

"Why, whatever could you mean, _Kitt?_" Brocklien put a sneering emphasis on the name, and Kitt felt his anger spike. "I simply gave SAC Rich what he wanted. I told him Knight had programmed you to kill John. Now he has someone to blame for his friend's death, and I have the legal right to do to you whatever I please. Now open up for me."

Kitt slammed the car into reverse and backed away, Michael's words running through his mind. But he couldn't simply run away. Bonnie was at gunpoint, Devon was possibly in equal if not greater danger with Rich, especially if he had let Michael escape and Rich found out about it, and Michael was _still alive_. It was so hard to keep that fact in mind, to keep the horror and fear from washing over him again the instant he had lost connection with his driver. "I will not." he said coldly. "Only Bonnie touches me, and certainly not under your command."

Brocklien flashed Jared a look, and the younger boy cocked the weapon. "You don't understand. I thought this through. Your programming won't let you let Bonnie here die. She will die if you don't give me what I want."

"Bonnie would not want me to sacrifice myself to save her." Kitt said quietly, and he noticed the way Bonnie seemed to sigh in relief at his words. "I will not grant you access."

"And if I kill Knight?"

Kitt froze. It was an empty threat, and yet suddenly everything that made Kitt who he was came crashing down on him. Forget programming – he had ignored or overridden that often enough in the past few months. It wasn't even anything against Bonnie. She was important to him, and she knew that, but even she knew exactly how important Michael was.

Michael was everything Kitt had. He was programmed to protect Michael, and even if he didn't have that programming, he would still do anything for his partner, his _anam cara._ He had to fight against his own protectiveness to say what needed to be said.

"You don't have Michael."

"Don't I?" Brocklien smirked. "Rich isn't on his way here. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, he's arresting your driver right now. I make a call, and Rich will kill him."

/---/

Michael fell to his knees and had to quickly force himself to stand back up. No, Kitt wasn't dead, there was no way Kitt could die, something was wrong with the connection –

The thoughts ran through his mind, but he couldn't focus on them. He couldn't fight as Rich walked up behind him and quickly forced him back to the ground. Something inside him flared to life at the sight of Devon standing there in shock, and he started to struggle. "Devon – Kitt!"

Devon understood. "Rich!"

It was just enough of a distraction. It really shouldn't have been, but Rich had gotten cocky. Michael wasn't putting up half the fight he thought he would. So he thought it was safe to look up at Devon, just to humor the old man.

He wasn't expecting Michael to twist free and punch him in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

/---/

AN: Whew! That's intense! Sorry if it sounds a bit choppy, it's supposed to.

Oh, and can you guys go and give my story Hit Man some reviews? It needs some lovin'. Please? I'll give all of you cookies!


	6. Chapter 6

**chapter six**

Michael and Devon raced for the garage. Michael was hardly aware the older man was following him; his focus was solely on reaching the only person who really mattered right now. There were many people Michael would kill for. There was only one he would die for. Right now that one person needed him, and he was so scared he wasn't going to get there in time. With everything that had been said in the past few months, Michael wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Kitt. It would be his fault. He was supposed to protect the AI.

The two men skidded to a halt just inside the garage door. Brocklien was standing by the computer banks, watching with interest as data flowed across the screens. Some apprentice or another was holding Bonnie at gunpoint. And Kitt was rocking back and forth on his wheels, the entire car frame trembling in what could only be pain.

Brocklien looked up with mild distain as Devon and Michael made their presence known. Michael took him out with one bullet between the eyes. Brocklien hadn't even hit the ground before Jared quickly dropped his gun and shoved Bonnie away from him, his hands held up in surrender. Michael ignored him. He handed the gun to Devon and started towards Kitt, concern and fear plain in his eyes. "Kitt? Buddy, what's wrong?"

"He can't respond to you." Jared said tightly. "I told the fool it was a stupid thing to do."

"What did Brocklien do to Kitt?" Devon demanded.

"He inserted some of Karr's old programming." Jared grumbled. "It did exactly what I told him it would do. Cascade data failure. Five more minutes and the 2000 will be nothing more than a hollow shell. There will be no hope of recovery."

Devon turned his focus to Bonnie. "Can you fix it?"

"Hopefully." Bonnie took her place in front of the computer banks, ignoring the body lying on the ground for the moment. "It would be easier if Kitt would stop fighting the programming. How did Brocklien get this into him?"

"He told Kitt he had Knight hostage." Jared said bluntly. "Told him that he'd have Rich kill the man if he didn't cooperate. Kitt couldn't let that happen. Brocklien used the very programming he hated against the machine."

"That wasn't programming." Michael snapped. His voice was harsh, and he never took his eyes away from his partner. "Kitt, it's me." He reached out and placed his hand on the hood, and Kitt jerked back away from him. Michael refused to be put off. "Come on. After all the hell we've been through, do you really think I'm going to back off that easily. You've always been there for me. Now it's my turn to return the favor."

"Michael?" Kitt's voice was trembling, and it broke Michael's heart. "Please – stay back. I don't know how much longer I can fight this."

"Don't fight it, pal." Michael said soothingly. "Bonnie's working on fixing you right up. She says it'll be easier if you don't fight her." He approached the car again, once again touching the hood, and this time Kitt didn't move. The car continued to shake, but Kitt's voice sounded much steadier when he responded to that.

"Michael, are you all right?" he asked. "I can't access my medical scanners."

"I'm fine." Michael smiled reassuringly at Kitt. "I'm a lot harder to kill than that."

"The comm. link died." Kitt said. "Brocklien cut us off from each other."

"I know." Darkness edged Michael's voice. "He won't hurt us again. I took care of it." He moved around the car to the driver's door. "Will you let me in?" He tried the door, but it was locked. "Come on, Kitt. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know." came the tight response. "I have no control over the security systems. Perhaps it would be safer for you to stay back."

"I can't do that, Kitt." Michael leaned against the door, trying to comfort Kitt through contact. "Nowhere in the Code of Friendship does it say anything about self-preservation."

Kitt laughed, but it came out strained. "It's not nice to use my own words against me."

"No, but I'm not above a little plagiarism." Michael teased back. "I'll start throwing my own insults when I calm down enough to think straight."

"You're thinking – straighter – Mi!"

Michael turned to Bonnie, cringing at Kitt's pain. "Hurry up!" he snapped.

"I'm trying!" Bonnie snapped back. "I almost have it, but the last few lines are going to hurt him the worst." She glanced over at Kitt. The AI didn't seem aware of anyone else in the room at the moment. "Kitt? Do you want me to continue?"

"Just get it out." he gritted out. The last lines were the most dangerous, the ones Kitt couldn't allow to stay hidden in his programming – no matter how painful it was. Those lines were the ones that were demanding that he kill the man leaning against his door. The deep-seated mistrust of anyone related to Knight Industries that Karr had developed before being deactivated was all part of the programming code that Brocklien had decided to give him.

Did he want Kitt to kill Michael? Possibly. Who knew?

Suddenly Kitt screamed as the last lines of code were deleted. Devon's eyes widened in shock as Michael fell to his knees, struggling to hold on to Kitt's door. Bonnie pushed herself away from the computers.

"It's done! Kitt – it's done. The code is gone."

Kitt didn't respond. Devon moved to approach Michael, but Kitt revved his engine, and the older man wisely backed away . Bonnie didn't even bother trying. "Let Michael get up on his own." she said quietly. "Kitt isn't going to let us near them until he does."

"Interesting." Jared said quietly. Devon glanced back at him. The boy shrugged. "Brocklien wanted to see what would happen as an AI destroyed itself. I don't think he realized the significance of just how far the AI was willing to go to protect a human. It's almost touching."

"Almost?" Michael had pushed himself to his feet and was now glaring at Jared. "If you knew what was going to happen, why did you let him do it?"

"Because I was curious too." Jared admitted. "Except for Bonnie and maybe Ashley, no one here really thinks of Kitt as anything more than a car. We don't spend enough time with him to really see it. I'm sorry."

Michael studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Kitt." Kitt didn't need any more to be said. He opened the driver door and Michael collapsed in the seat. Kitt closed it and went into lockdown. Bonnie ran one last check on Kitt's programming, satisfied that the errant lines of code were gone. Guards came in to check Brocklien and remove the body, but no one dared approach the silent AI or his sleeping driver.

Devon made sure of that.


	7. Chapter 7

**chapter seven**

Two weeks passed in relative peace, and for that Kitt was grateful. There had been too much hell and chaos in the past few months, and once again Michael wasn't sleeping well. The nightmares though were on both their parts. Kitt knew the pain was going to come back and haunt him eventually. He had tried to hide the nightmares from Michael; the poor man had his own nightmares to deal with. Still, Michael had found out, and more often than not they spent the nights together in Kitt's garage. It was getting more and more common for Bonnie to come down and run checks on Kitt's programming and find Michael sleeping either on the couch or in Kitt's cabin.

Kitt didn't want to deal with the consequences of what they had done. He wanted everything to go away, for everyone to leave Michael and him alone so they could finally have a chance to recover. He wanted time for just him and his driver. It was something they had been striving for, but the threat of impending separation had made things strained. Things were still strained.

It had surprised Agent Rich when Devon insisted on the meeting being held in the garage. There was Bonnie, Devon, a lawyer for the Foundation named Lee, and Michael and Kitt. From the FBI there was Rich and his superior, a big black man named Agent Freeman. Rich wasn't too pleased that they were outnumbered, but he figured it was safer that way.

Freeman spoke first. "Does anyone want to explain to me just what Dr. Brocklien was trying to do?"

Michael leaned against Kitt's hood and tuned out for the most part as Bonnie explained the technical details of what had been done. He didn't need to hear them. He already knew what his _anam cara_ had been through. He didn't want to hear it again. Kitt shivered underneath him, and he placed his hand against the warm MBS for comfort. Kitt was strong, but there was only so much pain a person could handle on their own.

As Bonnie finished, Freeman nodded. "Was this worth a man's life?"

Michael sat up. "Oh, so now you're willing to listen?" he snapped.

Freeman cast a glance at Rich, who had the grace to look sheepish. "Unlike some people, I don't believe people don't act for a reason. I want to know what your reason was before I condemn you." he said quietly.

Michael stood and walked over to Freeman. "You can feel pain, right?"

Freeman nodded. "Right."

"If your partner was screaming in pain, and the one responsible was standing right in front of you, what would you do?" Michael hissed.

Freeman didn't even blink as he responded. "I would shoot him."

"Exactly." Michael returned to Kitt to lean once again on the Trans-Am's hood. "What no one seems to understand is that Kitt can feel pain just like we can. He has a personality just like any other person, and it goes beyond what he was programmed to do. We protect each other the best we can."

For a moment, there was silence in the room. Lee spoke up, her voice slightly timid. "Michael's prints are on the gun. We have three eye-witnesses who are willing to testify that Brocklien drew first. There was a gun with the body when the FBI found him, correct?" Rich nodded reluctantly. "This looks like a case of self-defense to me."

"Self-defense?" Rich exploded. "Defense of what? A machine? That machine is a killer too – it killed my friend and my partner!"

For the first time, Kitt spoke. "Your _friend_ as you put it was trying to kill Michael and sell me off on the black market. Once again, I believe that qualifies as self-defense." There was pure acid in his voice, and Devon didn't miss the smirk that crossed Michael's face. The FLAG driver had waited a long time for Kitt to finally stand up and defend himself. It seemed that Kitt had finally found the appropriate time. "My programming may prevent me from taking human life, but I will not let anything happen to Michael. Whatever I have to do to protect him, I will do it."

Once again, silence reigned in the room. This time, it was broken by Freeman's chuckles.

"You got guts, Kitt." he said. "I like that." He looked over at Lee. "Write this one off as self-defense. But Devon, remember this – there's only so many times that will fly with my bosses. Clean your house, or next time I'll have to take Mr. Knight in. I don't think Kitt would like that."

"You wouldn't get near him, Agent Freeman." Kitt said calmly.

"But Agent Freeman," Rich protested, "there's still going to be an investigation, right?"

"There will be." Freeman agreed. "But you won't be involved in it. I will lead the team, and I'm sure our findings will agree with Lee's." He nodded a farewell to Devon and Bonnie, shook Lee's hand, and left the garage, followed by a sulking Rich.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Michael laughed. "That was great, Kitt."

"Thank you." Kitt seemed to preen under the attention. "I meant every word of it."

"I have no doubt." Michael grinned. He turned to Devon and abruptly turned serious. "So how are we going to clean house?"

"For one thing, I'm doing it, not you." Devon said sharply, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. "You will be busy with something else, if you want."

Michael tilted his head to the side. "Oh?"

"You and Kitt. This affects you both."

Michael sat up a little straighter, and even Kitt seemed to be focusing on Bonnie and Devon a bit more. Devon couldn't know for sure. He had never been as able to read Kitt's body language, what little of it there was, as well as Michael and Bonnie could. Then again, he didn't spend nearly as much time with the AI as they did. "What?" Michael asked.

Bonnie and Devon exchanged looks. "Devon told me what happened when the comm. link was cut." Bonnie said gently. Michael's expression soured, but Bonnie continued. "You can't operate like that. What happens if the comm. dies in the middle of a case?"

"What happened, Michael?" Kitt asked quietly.

"I choked." Michael said darkly.

"We have a way to keep that from happening." Devon said quickly. Michael locked eyes with him. "There is a new technology being implemented to link human minds to computers. We've tweaked it to link a human mind to an AI."

"What would this do?" Michael asked cautiously.

"If it works, you and Kitt will be in constant contact with each other." Bonnie explained. "It would serve as a replacement for the comm. link, and not very many things can block it."

"If it doesn't work?" Kitt demanded. "For me, it would be another piece of circuitry, but what about Michael?"

"If it doesn't work, then theoretically the implant would be nothing more than a harmless device inside his skull." Devon said quietly. "But we aren't sure. It hasn't been tested yet."

Michael laughed. "Yeah, and how do you test something like that?" he murmured. "What do you think pal?"

Kitt hesitated. "If you are willing to take the risk . . . I don't want to be separated again."

Michael nodded and ran his fingers across the hood. "Then let's do it."

/---/

An: The neurolink idea I'm implementing here is not mine, obviously. It belongs to Macx and is being borrowed for the time being by me.


	8. Chapter 8

An: My thanks to MoonstarWorld for helping me with the pre/post-op details! I give you lots of hugs!

**chapter eight**

Michael couldn't say he was too thrilled with the way things were going. The pre-surgery physical had gone okay, which he could have told them that without the doctor poking and prodding at him. The plastic surgery Wilton Knight had given him wasn't going to present a problem – this time they were cutting into the top of his head. Definitely not a pleasant thought. He chose not to entertain it too often.

He knew why he was doing this. Kitt had said it himself – he didn't want to be separated from his partner again. As bad as the idea of brain surgery scared him, as much as he hated the pre-op preparations such as the specialized diet and all of the iron and vitamin supplements he had to take, as tense as he was as the final steps were taken, he wouldn't change his mind. This was what he wanted, and it was what Kitt wanted, and that was truly all that mattered.

Kitt kept an eye on him through the comm. link as he paced the surgery room. They were doing the procedure on FLAG grounds, much to Kitt's relief. There were still so many things that could go wrong. Devon had done his best to keep the neurolink surgery a secret from the rest of the compound, but that didn't mean that word hadn't gotten out about Michael's less-than-best condition. Right now, Kitt wasn't in any condition to help him if something went wrong. At least they still had the comm. link. "I thought the sedative they gave you was supposed to make you calm." he said teasingly.

He sensed it as Michael, already in scrub pants and hospital gown top, finally sat down on the bed. "They haven't given me any yet. They want me to be as calm as possible before they do anything of the like." Michael rolled his eyes even though Kitt couldn't see it. "What they don't seem to understand is I'm hungry, thirsty, and more nervous than I was when I had my wisdom teeth removed. Nothing short of anesthetic is going to get me to calm down."

At that moment the surgeon, an older man named Dr. Jablonski, came in. "How are we feeling?" he asked. Michael shrugged.

"I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get this over with." he said darkly. Jablonski laughed.

"I meant you and Kitt." He smiled. "How's Kitt doing."

"_I would like to have a camera set up in the surgery room."_ Kitt said from Michael's comm. link. _"I want to know what's going on even if I can't be there."_ Michael smiled to himself as he watched the doctor think that one over.

Jablonski looked at him. "Well? What do you think?"

Michael gestured. "If he wants a camera, get him a camera." he said grandly. "Keeps him from hassling me for details."

"_Inside, Michael, I'm laughing hysterically."_ came the snide reply. _"Honestly."_

"Kitt, have I ever told you sarcasm is most becoming on you?"

"_Yes, and I don't believe you meant it as a compliment then, either."_

Jablonski couldn't help but chuckle as he gave Michael the shot while Kitt had him distracted. Michael hissed at the slight pain, and he was quick to assure both of them. "This is the sedative. It won't knock you out, but you'll become a bit sluggish. We'll give that a few hours to kick in and then I'll be back with the surgical team." He patted Michael on the shoulder and left the room. Devon had been right about those two. Jablonski had been a bit skeptical about implementing the neurolink, especially under such secretive circumstances, but Devon had explained the situation to them.

Besides, the old man was right. Only good could come from this.

Michael waited until Jablonski was gone before speaking again. "That stings." he muttered.

"_The drug should be taking affect in a few minutes."_ Kitt said quietly.

"How are things on your end?" Michael asked. "Are they sticking you with needles yet?"

He heard his partner's reluctant laugh and smiled to himself. _"Honestly, Michael, I can't be stuck with needles. But Bonnie and a few other techs are currently setting up a workspace. When you go under, so will I, so to speak."_

There was a silence then, the kind that forms when something needs to be said but no one can find the words. Finally, it was Kitt who broke the silence. _"I didn't tell you – when the comm. link died, I choked too."_

Michael glanced at his watch. "I figured as much." he said softly. "Kitt, no matter what happens, I still love you."

"_Not that anything is going to happen."_ Kitt said with all confidence. _"But I love you too."_

Briefly, Michael wondered if anyone had bothered to tell Kitt the risks of any kind of surgery, much less brain surgery. Or that any time a person went under anesthetic, there was always the chance that they wouldn't wake up. He decided not to think about that. Kitt had probably researched the risks himself. Besides, if he hadn't, Michael didn't want to give him a reason to be any more nervous than he already was. Kitt was programmed to protect him after all. There was only so much danger Kitt could let Michael put himself in.

He went to stand up and suddenly found himself on his butt again. "Wow." he murmured. "Now I feel woozy."

"_That's the drugs."_ Kitt said tightly. _"It'll be over with soon."_

"Now you sound nervous."

"_You sound out of it. Besides, Bonnie and the techs are ready to begin. Is Jablonski going to get the camera I asked for?"_

Michael laughed, but it sounded slurred, and Kitt couldn't help the spike of fear. "Hey, Kitt, I can tell you at least one good thing that's already come from this." he joked as the surgical team came in.

"_What's that?" _Kitt asked, tolerant amusement as ever present in his voice.

"At least we got out of the fundraiser."

/----/

An: Okay, this was shorter than I wanted, but I don't have the patience to type everything out. More medical details in the next chapter, as well as part of the actual surgery (in as much detail as I have the capacity to go into), so it will be longer. As always, review please!


	9. Chapter 9

**chapter nine**

Everything was running smoothly, in Jablonski's opinion. He was putting the finishing touches on Michael's stitches. The man was going to have to wear padding for a few weeks while the bone fused properly, but somehow he didn't think that was going to be a big deal. Chances were he would be too busy figuring out the neurolink with Kitt for Jablonski to worry about him hurting himself. He had just finished the last suture when Devon called over the intercom.

"Is Michael ready?"

Jablonski almost laughed at the slight tremor in the older man's voice. Briefly, he wondered how much longer Devon thought he could hide his changing relationship with Michael. For all practical purposes, the cat was out of the bag. Arguments with the FBI that included claiming someone else as kin usually got around FLAG pretty quickly. "He's almost done, Mr. Miles." he said reassuringly. "I'm going to take him off the anesthetic slowly. I'll let you know a few minutes before he's about to wake up, and Bonnie can activate Kitt then." It was his turn to hesitate. "How's Kitt coming?"

Devon chuckled. "Kitt is remarkably well. He's still able to talk to Bonnie and the techs, and for the moment he's watching the surgery." Jablonski automatically glanced at the upper east corner of the sterile room. Kitt had gotten his camera after all. "Bonnie was reassuring him you know what you're doing."

Jablonski laughed this time and smiled at the camera. "I'm a trained professional, Kitt. Done stuff like this since I was a young – "

"Dr. Jablonski!"

All the attention in the room suddenly focused on the man on the operating table. A nurse was by his side, one hand on his wrist as she took his pulse. Before she could say anything, the monitor for Michael's oxygen saturation levels began beeping in alarm.

"He's not breathing!"

/---/

Kitt was watching the entire thing. He knew a full thirty seconds before the nurse that something wasn't right. For the moment most of his receptors had been taken off-line for his 'surgery' and he was running on just enough power to use the camera and communicate with Bonnie.

"_He's not breathing!"_

Alarm swept through him. Of course, he had known it was a possibility. It was always a possibility every time a human went under, so to speak. However, he hadn't considered it happening to Michael. Why should he? The man had survived two gunshot wounds and more losses than any one person should ever have to endure. Why would something so carefully monitored become so dangerous?

The nurses were scrambling about, trying to get Michael breathing again. Kitt watched in horror as Michael's oxygen levels started falling drastically. The EKG monitor began to beep erratically.

He didn't hesitate. Kitt fired up the link, heedless of the machinery still attached to him and the danger it posed to himself, and sent all the power he had through it, reaching for Michael. It was a long shot, but it was the only shot he had.

/---/

Devon was standing as close to the glass window in the observatory as he could, watching in detached horror as Michael's vitals began to plummet. CPR had begun, and someone was charging the defibrillator. Distantly, Devon wondered what that would do to the neurolink, but decided it didn't matter. Michael's life was far more important.

The phone rang, and Devon was quick to answer it. "Yes?"

"_Devon, Kitt just activated the link!"_ Bonnie, panicked and very, very scared. _"He's trying to reach Michael. What's going on?!"_

For the moment, the Englishman ignored Bonnie. He'd explain later. Now, he pressed the intercom button. "Jablonski! Do not use the defibrillator!"

Jablonski looked up at the window in shock. "Why? It's the only chance he has!"

"Kitt is trying to link with Michael. Use the paddles, and you'll kill Kitt." Despite his shock, his voice sounded so calm and clear. Someone had once told Devon that he had a cool head. He was just very good at faking it. "If we kill Kitt, we'll kill Michael."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Keep doing CPR." Devon instructed. "Let Kitt handle the rest."

/---/

Kitt found Michael's end of the link. It was a little like running into a brick wall, but this time Kitt couldn't punch through it like he could so many others. So he did something he never thought he would do.

He screamed, throwing every bit of energy he had at the link. It had to activate. It had to.

If Michael died –

Sudden pain rippled through him, and he screamed again. And suddenly, so very suddenly, Michael was _there_. In his processor, with him. Kitt could _feel_ him in a way he never thought possible.

/Breathe!/ Kitt screamed, not knowing if Michael would even hear him. Not knowing if he was speaking aloud or in his own processor. /Please, Michael, breathe! You can't die because of my foolishness./

Power surged through Michael's link. His eyes snapped open and he took a shuddering gasp of air. Jablonski held him down as he coughed, trying to get air back into his collapsed lungs.

/Kitt?/ he gasped, reaching out for the presence he could feel in his mind.

/I'm here. Calm down now, Michael. You're scaring the doctor./

And slowly, oh so slowly, Michael calmed down. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep. The entire time, Kitt never left him.

/---/

Devon and Bonnie watched from the observatory as Michael rested. Every now and again he would mutter something under his breath, but no one paid him any mind. Jablonski and a nurse were there in case something should happen again. Kitt had been moved back into the Trans-Am, but so far was unresponsive. Bonnie figured he'd come back when he was certain Michael wasn't going to just up and die on him.

"What happened?" she murmured.

"Michael had a bad reaction to the anesthetic." Devon said darkly. "We were lucky that the surgery was already done when Michael reacted. Otherwise nothing Jablonski or Kitt could have done would have saved him."

Bonnie nodded. "Kitt forced the link open."

"I know. I wonder how that will affect the link."

"We'll find out." She turned to leave the observatory, but stopped. "Michael said you called him son."

Devon almost flinched. "I did."

Bonnie smiled. "Just so you know, he slipped once around me. He called you dad." She left then, but Devon stayed, to study the sleeping man and wonder just how much relationships were going to change for them all.

A warm feeling passed through him.

_Dad._ He could get used to that.


	10. Chapter 10

**chapter ten**

Michael woke slowly. His breathing was short and erratic, and pain lanced through his skull. He didn't bother to try and move. Already he could feel the helmet protecting his damaged head. It would be there for about a week, according to the doctors. But that wasn't what was really keeping him still. It was the steady supply of worry he could feel, intensely so, coming from a source that wasn't him.

Kitt. As soon as he made the connection, the worry changed to infinite relief. /You're all right?/ Kitt asked anxiously. Michael smiled without ever opening his eyes.

/I think./ he said calmly. /For once – you're freaking, and I'm calm./

Kitt laughed, and the sound resonated through Michael's mind. It occurred to him that the link shouldn't be this strong or clear. Bonnie had said something about the link basically being more of an intuition than a technical communication between them, and yet here he was, talking to Kitt without the comm. and without moving his lips. It was amazing, but Kitt didn't give him the chance to dwell on it.

/Honestly, Michael, are you all right?/

Michael sighed. /Kitt – what happened? The link - /

/I forced it./ There was a hesitant pause, and Michael could feel Kitt trying to pull back, away from his driver, but it wasn't possible. He could retreat, but not far enough. Not so far that Michael couldn't feel the fear and trepidation radiating from him. /You weren't breathing. I had to do something – I couldn't just let you - /

/Shh. I understand./ This time it was Michael's turn to hesitate. /Kitt, this isn't your fault. I wanted it too./

And he felt Kitt's smile. And everything was all right. There was nothing to worry about. Bonnie could deal with the changes in the link. Michael was content to just lay there for the time being, enjoying his _anam cara's_ presence in a way he hadn't thought possible. Kitt was safe, he was safe, and now the others didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of separating them.

/---/

Bonnie sat down in front of Kitt – or rather, in front of the Trans-Am. She wasn't entirely sure that Kitt was in there. She knew full-well he was with Michael. Something painful flashed through her, and it took her a moment to recognize what it was. She guessed it was only natural. After all, she was the closest thing to a mother Kitt had. It was natural of her to be jealous of the person who got to spend more time with Kitt than she did.

Natural, maybe, but it didn't feel right being jealous of Michael. So she ignored it as much as she could.

"Kitt, I need you to talk to me." she said quietly, calmly. "I need to know that the link hasn't made you malfunction in any way, and to do that, I need you _here_."

The scanner flickered on, then steadily began to track. "I'm here, Bonnie." But he sounded distant.

Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment. "Can you stay with me?"

"Of course." His voice was stronger, no longer as distracted, and Bonnie realized he had been monitoring Michael's condition. "I'm here. Michael's there." He hesitated. "Bonnie, I'm not going anywhere. You're still important to me."

She ignored that, even if it did strike a hard chord. "I want you to tell me exactly what you can do with the link. Every detail. I need to know anything that might affect how you'll perform on a mission." She struggled to keep her voice even and professional. The link was a good idea. She knew that. She just didn't expect it to hurt so bad.

Kitt considered the question. "I can feel him." he said hesitantly. "I – he's in pain, but it's dulled. If it wasn't for the helmet, he would be vulnerable to further injury. I can tell he's exhausted and still a little scared. The surgery was stressful for him."

Bonnie sighed. "So far, so good. Anything else?"

"No."

It was the first time Kitt had ever deliberately lied to Bonnie. Eventually, she would need to know about everything, including the fact that Kitt and Michael could exchange words through the link, but – Kitt wasn't sure he wanted her to know just yet. He wanted to run it past Michael first, preferably when Michael was in a better state to handle things. There was the distinct, abstract fear that Bonnie and Devon would try to rework the link, claim that the communications were a defect from the way the link was activated.

He didn't want them trying to fix what wasn't broken. Not in Kitt's opinion, anyway.

If Michael wanted it fixed, then they would talk. It was the least Kitt could do, considering it was his fault. He had talked Michael into this – it was his fault his driver almost died.

/Didn't I tell you this wasn't your fault?/

Kitt jumped inside his CPU. /Michael, you should be resting!/

/I am. I'm just – experimenting./

Bonnie made a note on her clipboard. "It's more than we could have hoped for." she murmured. She flashed a smile at Kitt. "When Michael's up and on his feet we'll run a few tests. Nothing stressful, I promise." She made a show of crossing her heart, and Kitt had to laugh.

"You don't have to do that, Bonnie." he chided her gently. "I know you're honest." _I'm not, but you are._

Bonnie grinned. "Okay. I'm going to let you rest. You're probably going to get a lot of backlash from what Michael's going through while he's recovering, so take it easy. I wouldn't advise trying to fight it, but I'm pretty sure with some practice you could learn to filter out the worst of it." With that she trailed her fingers across the hood one last time and left the garage. Kitt seemed to sigh as he turned his focus back to Michael. This time Michael was in his CPU, not him in Michael's mind, and the feeling was strange.

/Now I know how it feels on your end./ he muttered.

Michael didn't precisely laugh, but Kitt could feel his amusement as though it were his own. /You're used to being hooked up to machines./ he teased. /I'm not. What was that about?/

/Something I need to ask you when you're better./ Kitt admitted. /I'd rather not bring it up now./

/Okay./ Michael seemed to drift from him, but not so far that Kitt couldn't still reach out and touch him. It was easier to connect than it was to pull away for whatever reason. That was another thing Kitt wasn't sure it was wise to tell Bonnie. After all, it wasn't like Kitt was going to put Michael in danger. /But I meant what I said – this wasn't your fault. Never told anyone, but I did the same thing when I went under for my wisdom teeth removal./

/What?!/

Michael smiled faintly. /Check my medical records. It's there./ With that he drifted off to sleep, a calm presence in the back of Kitt's mind.

Kitt checked Michael Long's medical records. And cursed. Michael was right. The fool had agreed to this knowing that since it'd happened once, it could very well happen again.

His _anam cara_ was so reckless.


	11. Chapter 11

**chapter eleven**

Bonnie went over her notes one last time and heaved a sigh. So far, they knew very little about the link. For the past two weeks she had been testing Michael and Kitt while Devon and Agent Freeman investigated other FLAG operatives. So far they had five suspects, two of them were confirmed after Freeman had caught them making other deals with the black market while on surveillance. Bonnie wondered how many of Knight Industry's secrets were on the market now because of those two scientists. She also wondered how many others there were that were working with John Clay.

She forced her mind back on her notes. Michael sat in front of her, electrodes hooked up to his forehead. The helmet was off for once, but Kitt had been insisting that Michael wear it for another week or two. Bonnie suspected that he only wore it when he was around Kitt. "Can you sense Kitt now?" she asked, checking the monitor.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Come on, Bonnie. That thing isn't going to magically spit out the answers you want, no matter how hard you stare at it." he teased her.

"No, but it usually works on you." Bonnie shot back. "Answer the question."

The FLAG driver rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can sense Kitt. I can always sense him to some degree or another, just as he can me. How many times are you going to ask the same questions?" It was an agreement he and Kitt had come to – until they could figure out just what, exactly, they could do with the link, no one else had the right to know. Not even Bonnie, although she would be the first.

"What is he doing now?"

"He's getting work done on him, just like I am." Michael said irritably. "In fact, he's –" Something caught his attention. He frowned, ignoring Bonnie for the moment in favor of his partner. Something wasn't right. Fear and shock were coming from the AI in waves. "Bonnie, you have to check on him." he pleaded. "Something isn't right. He's scared."

It was Bonnie's turn to frown. "I'll do that." She got up and placed her clipboard on the chair. "You stay here. I'll come tell you what's going on." With that she left the room. Michael took off the electrodes and sighed. He couldn't just sit there. He had to know what was wrong.

So he reached for Kitt, like he'd always done. /Pal, what's wrong?/ Kitt didn't answer, but his fear started to fade a little. Shock still prevailed throughout his mind. Michael reached to him, touching his essence as well as he could. Kitt reacted, wrapping himself protectively around Michael. Now Michael was alarmed. /Kitt, c'mon, pal, what's wrong?/

/Bonnie's mentor!/ Kitt was now seething, and it was only because the anger wasn't directed at him that Michael didn't flinch away. /Mi, Bonnie's mentor was working with Clay! Freeman just arrested him right here in the garage./

Michael's eyes went wide. /Kitt, I sent Bonnie down there to check on you./

/She's outside. Devon's explaining it to her while Freeman reads him his rights./ Kitt tightened his hold on Michael. /Of all the people, I never thought of him./

/Neither did I./ And suddenly Michael understood. If Bonnie's mentor – the one who had stood by her through so much, and indirectly supported Kitt and Michael – could turn traitor, anyone could. No one was immune to this. /It'll be all right, Kitt. I promise you everything will be all right./

/Michael, I need you down here./

/As soon as Bonnie and I are finished, Kitt. Cross my heart./

/---/

Bonnie leaned against Devon outside of the garage, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Devon said nothing, but simply held her while she cried. There was nothing he could say. This wasn't just a betrayal of Kitt and Michael, but a personal betrayal against Bonnie. Finally, as her tears dried, Bonnie pulled away. She wiped at her cheeks, all business again, and Devon let her switch to a more comfortable topic.

"I'm worried about Michael and Kitt." she said finally, keeping her voice low.

Devon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There's something they're not telling me about the link, and it's something important. I just can't figure out what." She sighed. "I'm not sure if I should poke around until I get my answer, or just let them tell me in their own time."

Devon hesitated. "Trust them, Bonnie. This is so very new to them, and a lot of it is personal. They may not feel we have a right to know just yet. Heaven knows I've kept enough secrets in my lifetime." He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. "Relax, dear girl. I know that they'll tell us everything we need to know, in due time. For now, we must simply step back and respect their privacy. When they need us, we will be here."

Bonnie nodded. "Right."

/---/

Late that night found Michael in his now-customary spot for the nights – sitting in Kitt's driver's seat, the back reclined so he could stretch out comfortably. He had once made the comment that Kitt was more comfortable than a hotel. At the time he had meant it, but only now did he truly realize what that meant. In all honesty, sleeping in any car wasn't as good as sleeping in a bed. He still woke up with kinks in his back. But he did feel more at ease with Kitt than he did anywhere else in the mansion, and he knew that until his skull healed and he was fully well, Kitt wasn't going to let him sleep anywhere else.

Kitt's voice modulator flashed red as he spoke. "Is Bonnie all right?" he asked hesitantly.

"She's fine, Kitt." Michael assured him. "A bit shaken up, but we all are. She'll get over it in due time."

Kitt hesitated. "Does it hurt? When someone turns on you, I mean."

Michael snorted. "Does it hurt you when people turn on you?"

"Yes, but I wondered if it bothered humans as much as it bothered me." Kitt admitted. "After all, people seem to do it to each other all the time."

Michael sighed. "We do, but it doesn't make it any easier." he said darkly. He reached out and pressed his hand against the dash. "People are gonna hate us because of what we are, but that doesn't mean I'm ever going to hate you. You know that, right?"

Warmth and affection flooded him, and he smiled as Kitt answered.

"Of course. I never doubted it."

**The End**

AN: Wow! Another story finished. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me through this one, and a double thanks to MoonstarWorld for the help you've given me. (hugs)

If you guys want a sequel to this one, let me know. I have an idea for it, but I can't promise it will go anywhere. I seem to strike out at number three in a series. Let me know, and until next time, I remain yours truly,

Shadowblade-tara


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